Snakes and other squamate reptiles inhabit and nest in areas which may be close to where humans live and spend time. Due to the danger of snake bites, venomous and not, and other bad associations with snakes, many homeowners and people engaging in recreational activities, such as camping, have tried to find ways to repel snakes from the vicinity of humans. Optimally, the repellent does not kill the snakes, but merely repels them from the human's vicinity.
Many prior art repellents are not effective at repelling snakes, or only repel the snakes for a short period of time. A more reliable repellent was desired.
It is believed that squamate reptiles, in particular snakes, rely on three separate chemosensory systems for much of their environmental information. The taste buds (or gustatory system) gathers information from the materials in the saliva. Second, the olfactory sensors detect volatile, low molecular weight chemicals. Third, the vomeronasal system is sensitive to high molecular weight molecules, primarily via the vomeronasal organ. The vomeronasal organ in a snake opens into the roof of the mouth, and snakes use the tip of the tongue to deliver environmental chemicals to the organ.
Squamate reptiles, such as without limitation lizards and snakes, pick up vomodors (usually heavy compounds that settle on substrates or are in the air) from substrates and the air by tongue flicking. In snakes and Scleroglossan lizards, the tongue is specialized, used only for vomodor gathering. The present invention, without being limited to mechanism, recognizes the usefulness of vomodors in snake repellents.